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Bob Mercer

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PIERRE -- Midstate Communications can run fiber along part of a state railroad line for free in order to reach a remote residence at Chamberlain. Midstate faced an application fee of $175 and an annual access fee of about $750, but the state Railroad Board granted a waiver. General manager Mark Benton and Greg Dean from the South Dakota Telecommunications Association made the request Wednesday. Benton said there wouldn't be sufficient revenue from the customer if the company had to pay the $750 every year. Dean said Internet service has come to be seen by many in the public as a right. Th

PIERRE — The South Dakota High School Activities Association paid nearly three times more than the $7,000 budgeted for audit services this year because of snags in two prior years. The state Department of Legislative Audit wasn't able to deliver the fiscal 2011 audit until July 23, 2012. State fiscal years run July 1 to June 30.

PIERRE — Biologists for the state Wildlife Division won't conduct an aerial survey of South Dakota's antelope herds this year. They know antelope numbers remain low and nothing is expected to significantly change in the weeks and months ahead. "It's pretty hard to spend that money flying pronghorns," Andy Lindbloom, a senior big game biologist, told members of the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission last week. Because the populations have declined so sharply, the commission is proposing that fewer licenses be offered to hunters for the 2014 rifle season scheduled to run Oct.

PIERRE — South Dakota legislators can't receive additional reimbursement for purchasing technology devices, a member of the Legislature's legal staff said Monday. Attorney Doug Decker said a technology reimbursement would exceed legislator compensation limits already set by state laws and the South Dakota Constitution. Decker made his remarks to a subcommittee of the Legislature's Executive Board. "I don't think you have specific statutory authority to do this," he said. Sen.

PIERRE -- Gov. Dennis Daugaard raised $272,422.91 during the first four-plus months of 2014 for his re-election and spent $347,585.43, according to his pre-primary campaign finance report filed Friday. The Republican governor showed $1,646,169.24 cash on hand and no debts or obligations owed. Most of his money came from itemized individual contributions that totaled $238,920. Another $10,269 came from smaller non-itemized contributions. Most of his spending so far this year went for advertising that cost $278,319.91. Daugaard faces former state Rep.

PIERRE — Two state government departments are taking a look at driver education courses across South Dakota. A retired Rapid City police captain, Richard Grant, will be paid up to $45,000 over 18 months for reviewing content and methods and for analyzing accidents and violations. Information also will be gathered on the amounts charged for instruction. The Department of Public Safety is paying for the work and will provide results to the Department of Education. Northern State University at Aberdeen and Black Hills State University at Spearfish are the only institutions where college

PIERRE — The state Board of Education on Monday will conduct the second in a series of public hearings about revised standards for physical education in South Dakota schools. The meeting will be held in Aberdeen at the Northern State University Student Center's Centennial room. The hearing starts at 9:15 a.m. The proposed revisions change the wording of five basic standards. The age spans would be reduced to three from the current four. K-2 would be grouped with 3-5 as a single span of grades. The state board held the first hearing March 24 in Sioux Falls.